Droughts

DISCUSSION: Drought conditions in the high plains have gradually worsened over the course of the year. This includes the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, and Colorado. Severe and extreme drought has expanded across eastern Montana, south-central North Dakota and northwest South Dakota where dry and hot conditions have persisted. Many areas this past week across the Dakotas had temperatures climb well into the 90s, with many even reaching triple digits.

In northwestern South Dakota, the South Dakota State University Extension staff reported “poor pasture and range conditions as well as deteriorating crop conditions.” The lack of precipitation and extreme heat has wreaked havoc on farming. In Glasgow, Montana, the National Weather Service Office reported several dry precipitation records were broken for Glasgow; this includes the driest January through June since 1983 (2.75 inches). In Montana, only 52.28% of the land is currently not experiencing any kind of drought conditions (image above). In the high plains, only 53.49% of the region is currently not under any drought conditions.